HIS mind-bending magic pulled off the impossible when it left Simon Cowell struggling for words and hypnotised the viewing public into historically making him the first illusionist to win Britain’s Got Talent.

But military-magician Richard Jones, a lance corporal who spent ten years serving in the army, will look to conjure much more than the ability to perplex audiences with sleight of hand card tricks, when his newfound, spiritual-healing powers bewitch the Braintree Arts Theatre.

‘Escape’ sees the 28-year-old London-born sorcerer meddling beyond the realms of reality, into slightly darker territory, as he mystically attempts to cure the audience’s internal issues and insecurities and breakdown their mental boundaries.

Richard, a Derren Brown fan whose interest in magic was encouraged by his father, said: ‘‘I decided it was time to shake things up for this tour and I wanted to combine techniques from my normal magic shows with new techniques of self-help that I’ve been developing. I’m confident in the notion that I can change the way the audience’s minds work forever, with a series of mind methods.’’

Richard’s fresh approach to performing magic came after travelling to more than 20 different countries in two years and witnessing the universal appeal of the illusory artform and its ability to transcend language barriers. The parallels between the positive emotive energy we experience when we witness a magic trick and our application of that positivity to the hurdles we encounter every day, also inspired the marvel to further explore how the alleviation of negative tendencies can be influenced by magic.

He said: ‘‘The power of magic is in the fact that it can be understood by anyone, anywhere. I found that everyone experiences the same emotion when witnessing an impossible feat and magic helps us to appreciate individual moments in life. I like to think that witnessing a magic trick allows us to think more positively towards the challenges we may be facing in life.’’

Richard Jones’ Escape starts at 7.30pm on April 12. Adult tickets cost £22 and concessions are £19.50.